Monday, Jan. 26, 2004

riparian forest buffer

today i read an article in the newspaper about the re-introduction of gray wolves in yellowstone and how it has changed the ecology of the area in just nine years.

apparently without the wolves as a predator, the elk population had skyrocketed in the preceding decades. the elk liked to hang around the streams and riverbeds, eating away the vegetation that grew alongside. when the wolves came back, the elk population decreased, and they learned to stay away from the stream and river beds because that is where they are most vulnerable. the vegetation grew back.

these plants surrounding the water created a riparian forest buffer, filtering pollution and providing shade for the streams, cooling the water, which is favorable for the trout, the benthic macroinvertebrates, and all the other critters ( . . . kim and rachel . . .) that inhabit the streams.

this vegetation also provides materials for beavers to make dams. in 1996 there were no beaver dams in yellowstone, but today there are around 10. beaver dams create marshes which are also beneficial and important to the wildlife. all of this in just nine years.

i just think that's really cool.